Hinata: Sweetheart of the Allied Nations
by xHinaLovex
Summary: Hinata overhears something Naruto says on a mission and goes off on him. She is offered a 2 year diplomatic mission that she takes in order to get stronger and get over Naruto. Meanwhile, Naruto realizes his mistake and is determined to win her over. How will Hinata develop and how will Naruto accomplish his goal?
1. Chapter 1: The Retrieval Mission

Hinata: Sweetheart of the Allied Nations

Chapter One: The Retrieval Mission

The Fourth Great Shinobi War had ended 12 months ago. Madara was dead (for good this time) and the threat of the Akatsuki was gone. In the Five Great Elemental nations, civilians and shinobi alike were picking their lives back up and adjusting to life without those lost in the war.

In Konoha, the Godaime Hokage, Senju Tsunade, looked at a report on her desk and sent her ANBU to summon three shinobi to her office. The first two arrived together, as they had both been working in the hospital when they were summoned. The first to walk into the room was the pink haired Haruno Sakura, esteemed apprentice of the blonde Sannin. The second was the shy, dark haired Hyuuga Hinata, heiress of the prestigious Hyuuga clan. These were two of the most beautiful and talented kunoichi in all of Konoha. They had become closer after the war as Hinata had decided to get some medical ninja training and Sakura had been eager to bring the kunoichi from the Konoha 12 closer together. The war had really brought into perspective the value of friendship and Sakura found it ridiculous that she and Ino had not spent much time with Hinata and TenTen before the war and had quickly decided to rectify that situation once Hinata started with her medical training. The girls were discussing one of their patients as they walked into Tsunade's office.

Tsunade smiled as she saw the two girls talking comfortably with one another. The friendship between Sakura, Ino, Hinata, and TenTen had benefitted all four of the girls. Sakura still had a temper as legendary as her mentor's, but her time with Hinata had helped her learn to control it better, if only a little bit. Ino had always cherished her friendship with Sakura, but it was nice to have more girls to talk to whom she didn't also consider rivals. The presence of the other two helped keep their arguing to a minimum and she found herself closer to her best friend than ever before.

Hinata and TenTen had probably benefitted the most from this new friendship. Neither had really had any close girl friends before and both had been devastated at the death of Neji. Although TenTen was still very serious about her career as a kunoichi, she enjoyed spending some time doing things other than training. She was happy to relax and enjoy girl time every now and then. Besides, what better way to become a legendary kunoichi than by spending time with the other three most likely to become legendary kunoichi of their time. Hinata had gained a little more confidence while fighting in the war, but her new friendships put an end to her stutter completely and drastically decreased her blushing. The now 18 year olds (19 for TenTen) were truly blossoming from talented teenagers into strong young women.

The three women did not have to wait more than ten minutes for the final team member to arrive. Naruto barged into the room with his usual boisterous greeting of, "Hey Baa-chan" and got knocked on the head simultaneously by Sakura and Tsunade. Hinata stifled a giggle. Sakura, Hinata, and Naruto all turned to Tsunade while Naruto voiced the question on all their minds, "So, why did you call us here?"

Tsunade looked at them and smiled, happy to give them a mission she knew they had been looking forward to. "Well," she began, "I have been talking with the council and we decided that it is now time for you to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke and bring him back to the village for good."

Uchiha Sasuke had come back to help his comrades from Konoha towards the end of the war, but once it was finished he decided to take some time away from the village to get used to the idea of returning. He had lived his life solely for the purpose of vengeance for so long that he knew he would not be able to go straight back once the war ended. He talked with Naruto and together they convinced Tsunade that it would be alright for him to take some time in a secluded part of the Fire Nation to adjust to the idea of coming back to Konoha. Apparently the council and Hokage had decided that a year was sufficient time and were ready to bring him back for good.

Sakura's eyes were wide and Hinata put her hand on her shoulder while shooting her friend a small, supportive smile. Ino had gotten over her infatuation with the last Uchiha, but Sakura was still hopelessly in love with him. She thought this past year would give her some time to get used to the idea that he was really coming back, but her nerves made her feel once again like that 13 year old girl who had offered her heart to the boy in an effort to get him to stay. Needless to say, she was very glad Hinata would be on this mission to support her. Speaking of which:

"Woohoo!" shouted Naruto, excited that his promise of a lifetime would finally be officially fulfilled. "But, why is Hinata coming with us instead of Sai?"

Hinata's head drooped and she looked at the ground. Her confidence had grown by leaps and bounds, but Naruto was still her kryptonite. Sakura noticed Hinata's change in attitude and promptly snapped herself out of her daze and smacked Naruto on the back of the head.

"Ow, what was that for?!"

"Baka! Why would you say that about Hinata? Is she not good enough for you?"

"No, no! That's not what I meant!" Naruto hastily replied, realizing his question had been misinterpreted. "It's just that this is kind of a Team 7 specific mission and Sai is part of Team 7 so it just seemed odd to replace him, that's all!"

Tsunade coughed, drawing their attention back to her. "To answer your question, Naruto, Sai was given another mission just this morning so he is unable to join you. Since we have the general area where Sasuke is staying, but not an exact location, I assigned you the best available tracker for searching wide areas quickly. Do you have any other objections I need to know about?"

Naruto could hear her taking a dangerous tone and figured she was not in the best of moods considering the meeting regarding this mission had been this morning and any council meeting regarding the last Uchiha was usually a rather heated one. Thus, he rightly decided to keep his mouth shut for once and shook his head no.

"Good," said Tsunade. "In that case, I have a map with his general location as well as a couple of areas circled that make the most sense to search first as they are the most ideal for living conditions. It should take about two days to get there, one to two days to find him, and two days to get back. You leave in two hours. Dismissed!"

Hinata and Sakura made plans to meet for a quick lunch once they finished packing and all three shinobi left the Hokage's office to prepare for the mission ahead.

Three days had passed since the Konoha shinobi left the village to retrieve their comrade. All three had wondered if there would be some big confrontation once they found Sasuke. That perhaps they would find him, he would tell them he had decided not to come back after all, he and Naruto would fight it out in some epic battle, and Sakura would have to heal them enough to get them back. Needless to say they were all a little on edge as they approached the tiny cabin that it seemed Sasuke had built for himself. The last thing they expected was to find him on the side of said cabin, kneeling in the dirt, weeding a garden. They stopped and stared at him until he sat back on his feet and looked at them as if to say, "What?" Instead what he actually said was, "Hn. It's time?" Sakura and Hinata nodded in response while Naruto smiled one of his brilliant smiles and said, "You bet! Team 7 will be reunited once again!" as he let out a loud "Whoop!"

Sasuke just stood up and walked towards the door of the cabin, and gestured for the others to follow him in. Inside was rather crowded with the four of them and the three who were not previously living there glanced around at their surroundings. It was a very modest one room cabin with a futon in one corner, a fire pit and makeshift stove in another corner, and a small table with a few shelves built over it along one of the walls. There was an awkward silence inside the cabin that Naruto could not stand. "So... a garden?" he asked, trying to start up a conversation. Sasuke just shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Is that a problem?" before silence once again reigned. Realizing that they were likely in the way inside the small space and that Sasuke would not need much time to pack, they excused themselves and told him they would wait outside.

The last Uchiha finished within a half an hour and they were ready to go. Hinata, however, noticed Sasuke glancing at his garden and spoke up: "Uchiha-san, would you like to take some of your plants with you? Those tomato plants look very well taken care of and that way you wouldn't have to start from scratch when you get back." Sasuke quickly turned his head to look at her, a surprised expression flitting across his face before it returned to his usual impassive one. He hadn't realized that he had been so obvious. Honestly he hadn't been, but Hinata knew how to read people, especially emotionally repressed people. "You can do that?" he asked. "Yes," she replied. "If you have a scroll and some ink, I designed a special storage seal for transporting plants already planted after a rare plant I had ordered was destroyed while I was on my way home from the Yamanaka flower shop. It's nothing fancy, just a regular storage seal adjusted to better suit the purpose. If you are willing to delay for an extra twenty minutes then I can draw it up and store some of your garden for the trip." A little impressed, though not showing it, Sasuke reached inside his pack and handed Hinata the items she asked for. She thanked him and within the time she had expressed, she had finished and they were off.

The first day of travel was a little awkward. Sakura didn't seem to know what to say. She was no longer fawning over the Uchiha, she had grown out of that, but she still cared about him. Unfortunately, the last meeting where they really had much of a conversation was the time when she had tried to kill him and he had almost succeeded in killing her instead. When he had showed up to help in the war, there really wasn't time to chat. She had forgiven him for everything, but wasn't sure how to start a casual conversation. Hinata was her usual quiet self, partially because that's how she was, partially because she was still rather shy when Naruto was around, and partially because she felt that this was more of a time for Team 7 to get reacquainted and she did not want to intrude.

Naruto, however, was talking enough for the four of them. He was telling Sasuke all about what had been happening since the war in the village. Naruto assured him that he would show him all around the village when they got back, since the layout had changed from the reconstruction after the Pein attack.

Sakura heard this and reminded Naruto, "Remember, Tsunade-sama asked us to go to her office before anything else. She wants to set up a meeting to go over the circumstances of Sasuke's return and give him a couple of rules to follow until the meeting takes place." None of the four shinobi knew what exactly was in store for the raven haired Uchiha once they returned to the village and silence reigned once again as they all pondered what might happen.

They rested that night, then travelled the next day in much the same fashion. Around dinner time, they decided to set up camp for the night. Konoha was only about five hours away, but since they were still within the time constraints of their mission, there was no need to push it.

After dinner, the sun had set, and the night began to grow cooler. Fall was giving way to winter and the nights in Fire Country were becoming quite cold. Hinata offered to gather some more wood for the fire since her Byakugan would allow her to both find wood in the dark and look out for threats at the same time. Her companions accepted this and she quickly went about her task.

A few minutes later, Naruto continued to talk to Sasuke about all the things they would do once they got back to Konoha while Sasuke just sat there and listened. Sakura watched the two boys and wondered how two such different people could be such good friends. Although Sasuke wouldn't say it aloud, Sakura could tell he was happy to be back with his friend and rival.

As she pondered their strange relationship, Naruto's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Hey, Sakura-chan, you don't have to feel left out! I would be happy to take you out as well. It could be a date!" Naruto said, as he grinned cheekily. Sakura groaned in annoyance and smacked Naruto in the head. "I told you. Never going to happen," she said as she stood up and went inside her tent. He was hopeless. And she couldn't help but get angrier and angrier every time he asked her out. Ever since she became friends with Hinata, she wanted to berate Naruto for treating her friend so callously. He knew he didn't have a chance with her, and as far as she knew he still had not responded to Hinata's confession. Plus, they had all witnessed the moment shared between Naruto and Hinata after Neji's death on the battlefield. Sakura could not fathom how he could go from moments such as that and Hinata's confession during Pein, to hardly speaking to the poor girl. However, her shy friend would not allow her to ask him about it so she just continued to wonder and hit him at every attempt to ask her out.

After Sakura closed the flap on her tent, Sasuke looked at Naruto and asked, "I guess some things never change. Why are you still trying? She has rejected you since before we even graduated the Academy." Naruto just shrugged and said, "Well, Sakura knows me. We've been on the same team for years. Plus, she's pretty." Naruto had long ago realized that he didn't exactly love Sakura. Sure, she was definitely pretty and strong and he would love it if she gave him a chance, but he couldn't honestly say he knew her well enough to truly be in love with her.

Sasuke just rolled his eyes. "Is there no one in Konoha who wouldn't hit you if you asked them out?"

"Nah, it's just a bunch of fangirls. And they just want to date me because I'm now the 'Hero of the Leaf' and 'Son of the Fourth Hokage'."

Suddenly the boys heard a gasp and the sound of logs falling to the ground. They turned around to see Hinata, with a pained expression on her face. "J-just a bunch of fangirls? A f-fangirl? Is _that_ what I am to you? A _fangirl_?"

Naruto's eyes went wide.

"I figured that you did not consider me a romantic interest. And I knew that it was possible that you might not consider me a friend, since we never really spend time together outside of missions. But I thought... I thought I was at least a trusted companion, a fellow member of the Konoha 12 and someone who has been behind you, rooting for you since the Academy days. When you were still the dead last and everyone made fun of you for wanting to be Hokage, I believed you could do it. I jumped in to save you when Pein had you pinned with his chakra rods, I jumped in front of that attack from the Ten-tails, I have willingly and purposefully risked my life for you twice, confessed my love for you, kept you from giving yourself over to Obito's plan, and you are grouping me in with your fangirls?!"

At this point Hinata had tears running down her face, but she stood strong and proud, waiting for his response. Naruto quickly jumped in, "No! No, Hinata, I don't think of you as a fangirl! I wasn't thinking of you at all when I said that!"

This time it was Hinata's eyes that went wide. He was asked about possible romantic interests and she didn't even cross his mind in the slightest. Suddenly all that time waiting for a response, all that time trying to quell her insecurities, and all that time hoping and praying that he would acknowledge her in some small way while doing her best not to let the disappointment get to her finally caught up and she snapped.

"Well, that's it isn't it." Hinata whispered harshly. "You weren't thinking of me at all. I wasn't even a consideration. You know, since I confessed during the Pein attack, I feared that your lack of response meant that you didn't even find me worthy of responding to. That I was nothing to you, not even worth the time it took to say 'Thank you' or 'I heard what you said, and I appreciate it'. And all of our friends - Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, the girls, Neji-niisan - they all assured me that that was not the case, that I meant something to you, that I was one of your precious people and that you would eventually say something, even if it was to let me down easily. I didn't expect you to come running to me after my confession. I didn't even expect to live after that confession. I just wanted to make sure that before I died, you knew that you were loved. But I did live. And I thought you might at least say something. I tried to tell myself I was just letting my old insecurities act up again, but now I know it is true! I am actually nothing to you! Not even a thought in your mind unless we have to work together for a mission! You said you kept asking Sakura out because she knew you. That your fangirls only wanted to date you for superficial reasons. But there has to be something else you are looking for because I know you. I've watched you since our time at the Academy. I admired you when you were the dead last. I saw how long you trained, how hard you tried, and how you never gave up. You were the person I admired most. That's why I adopted your nindo. I wanted to be strong like you, strong enough to walk with you. But now I know your response. I suppose I should thank you for finally making it clear how you feel about me." Hinata's voice faltered. With the little bit of strength she had left she said, "I hope it is alright if I take first watch tonight, Sasuke-kun. I do not think I would be able to sleep at the moment." Sasuke nodded and she began to walk off.

Naruto jumped up quickly and grabbed Hinata's wrist. "Wait," he begged, wanting to make things right. Hinata turned to him and Naruto almost took a step back, heart breaking at the anguish and hurt he saw in her eyes. Hinata blinked back tears, determined not to let him see her cry any more over him, and said, "Please release me, Uzumaki-san." Naruto flinched at the change in address. Coming from Hinata, that was essentially a slap in the face. "But Hinata-" Suddenly he felt an arm on his and looked over to see Sasuke. "Naruto, let her go." Naruto started to argue, but the look on Sasuke's face made it clear he would not take no for an answer. He let go of Hinata's wrist and she disappeared quickly after sending Sasuke a look of gratitude. He just nodded and turned back to the campfire with Naruto trailing behind.

"What the hell, Sasuke, I wanted to talk to her!"

"You're an idiot."

"What?! She said all that and I'm an idiot for wanting to talk to her?"

"What were you going to say to her, then?"

"Um... I'm not sure, but I would have figured something out!"

"Idiot."

"Damnit, Sasuke, stop calling me an idiot!"

"No."

"Why?!"

"She sacrificed herself to save you, told you she loved you back when Pein attacked, and you never said anything?" Sasuke knew she had feelings for his blonde teammate, but he hadn't known about all that. It was shocking to hear the timid girl had gone so far. And his teammate's reaction to all of it was even more dumbfounding. He wasn't usually one to get involved, but his curiosity was piqued.

"Well, not exactly."

"You did or you didn't. And from her reaction earlier, it seems to me that you did not. Idiot."

"What's your point? You knocked Sakura-chan out after she confessed to you before you left the village."

"Hn. At least I thanked her first. Besides, this is about you, not me."

"_You_ were the one who stopped _me_ from talking to her just now."

"That's because I knew you didn't know what you were going to say to her. You can't just run into this without thinking like you usually do. This is a delicate matter and she deserves better. She's obviously very hurt so you need to figure out what you are going to say and do before you actually do it."

Naruto hung his head, a little weirded out at his friend sounding so sensitive for once. "You're right. I need to figure out how to explain. And how to make it up to her."

"Hn."

"What, did you use up all the words you allowed yourself for the day? Why do you care so much about this anyway? It's not really like you. And it's not like you know her."

Sasuke just shrugged and said, "She helped me."

"Is that all I get?"

"Hn."

_Flashback_

_It was the first night on their way back to Konoha. Hinata woke up for her watch shift and went out to relieve Sasuke. She found him staring absently into the fire. His face was blank, but his body was tense._

_"Uchiha-san, you can go to bed now. It's time for my watch."_

_"Hn."_

_When he didn't move from his spot she walked closer and sat next to him._

_"Uchiha-san?"_

_"Hn."_

_"Is something on your mind?"_

_Sasuke turned to look at Hinata. She was looking at him, head tilted to the side in curiosity. His brow furrowed a little. Why was she asking? He did not know this girl. Sure, they had been in the same class in the Academy, but they had really never talked before._

_Hinata took his furrowed brow as a sign that she'd angered him and quickly began to apologize._

_"S-sorry! I didn't mean to intrude. I just thought... Nevermind! Sorry for bothering you, Uchiha-san."_

_He looked at her, even more confused. She was way too nice. He'd pretty much ignored her question and instead of calling him out for being rude, she apologized to him. He felt bad for making her nervous. She had helped him out with his garden after all._

_"Sasuke," he said._

_"W-what?" Hinata looked at him, confused._

_"I never liked formalities that much. Call me Sasuke."_

_Hinata's eyes widened a little before she relaxed and smiled slightly._

_"Okay, Sasuke-kun."_

_It was quiet for a few more minutes and Hinata glanced over at him again. He still looked deep in thought and his body was still tense. She didn't want to anger him, but she couldn't stop herself from trying to help. It was just who she was._

_"Um, Sasuke-kun?"_

_"Hn."_

_"You look thoughtful."_

_"Hn."_

_Realizing she wasn't getting anywhere indirectly, she decided to be a little more direct than usual. "Your body is tense. Is there something you are worried about?"_

_Sasuke looked at her again, startled. He wasn't used to company. And he definitely wasn't used to company that could read him. Even Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo were too wary of him to try to figure him out. Aside from Karin's attempts to seduce him, they usually just let him be._

_"Sorry," she said, "I just wanted to help. I can stop bothering you."_

_"No, it's fine. It's just... why are you trying to help me? You don't know me. It's strange."_

_Hinata just smiled softly before responding, "You are a comrade, right? That makes you precious. And I like to help my precious people."_

_"I betrayed Konoha. I ran away, nearly killed Naruto on multiple occasions, and not long ago I wanted to kill you and all of your precious people in the village. Why are you so quick to make me a precious person? You shouldn't trust me so fast. What if I took advantage and hurt you?"_

_"You wouldn't do that."_

_"How do you know? How can you just trust me like that?" Sasuke was utterly bewildered at this point. He was not a nice person. And he had done some really nasty things. And here was this girl wanting to help him. She called him precious. What. the. hell._

_Hinata was quiet for a moment. "Do you remember Neji?" she finally asked._

_Sasuke didn't know where this was going, but he decided he wouldn't get any answers just ignoring her so he figured he would play along. "Yes. He was your cousin, wasn't he? He was strong."_

_Hinata smiled. "Yes, he was. Very strong. Do you remember the first Chunin exams we all took?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Neji tried to kill me during our fight. He said I was weak. He was angry at me for being in the main branch. I said something to him during the fight that made him so angry he charged at me to kill me. The only reason he didn't was because the Jonin instructors restrained him just in time."_

_Sasuke waited, not sure what this had to do with anything._

_"He died in the war, you know."_

_"I did not know that."_

_"He died to save me. There was an attack heading for Naruto-kun and neither he nor anyone around him had the strength left to block it. So I jumped in front of it, intending to take it for him. The world could survive without me, but this world needs Naruto-kun. As I prepared myself for death, Neji jumped in front of me to take the attack for both of us. He did not survive."_

_Hinata's voice had gotten even softer, though Sasuke was unsure how that was even possible. Still, he thought he was starting to understand what she was trying to say._

_"So, he ended up saving your life? You're saying you were able to forgive him because of that?"_

_"Not quite. I had forgiven him long before that. I was honestly not even angry about his attempt to kill me to begin with."_

_Sasuke was incredulous at this point. Her cousin had pretty much said anything terrible about her he could come up with, beat her down continuously, then tried to end her life. And she is saying she wasn't even mad?_

_"He had his reasons, but that's besides the point. He really changed after his fight with Naruto-kun in the Chunin finals. It took him a little bit to warm up, but he became a caring cousin. He helped me train. He looked out for me. It was like having an older brother. I cherished our bond."_

_Sasuke winced, thinking about his own older brother and the disaster that their relationship had turned into. He was brought back when Hinata began to speak again._

_"My point is, no matter what someone has done in the past, they can change. Yes, you left the village. Yes, you trained under Orochimaru and yes, you wanted at one point to destroy Konoha. But now, you are coming back to serve Konoha. So, you are a comrade, a new precious person. That is why I want to help."_

_"You still shouldn't trust me."_

_"Why not? Naruto-kun does."_

_"Hn. He's an idiot."_

_"He sees the good in people."_

_"You like him."_

_It wasn't a question and Hinata blushed furiously and turned her head so that Sasuke could not see her face. He did, however, see her red ears and decided to end her misery._

_"Fine, so you are going to trust me whether or not I think it's a good idea."_

_She nodded._

_"And you want to help?"_

_She nodded again. The last Uchiha felt strange. He thought his blonde friend was the only one strange enough to care about him. Even Sakura had been unusually quiet this whole trip. He remembered back to when he had almost killed her and inwardly flinched. She probably thinks he's a terrible person. He was disheartened by the idea. Sakura had once loved him and he had thrown everything away for revenge against a person who didn't even deserve it._

_Hinata glanced back over at Sasuke, who had gone quiet. He looked more and more troubled as the minutes went by. She decided to try one last time._

_"You want to talk about it?"_

_He sighed. It seems like she wasn't going to give up._

_"I don't think the village is going to think like you and Naruto do."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"You are so quick to forgive and forget. The village will not be like that."_

_Hinata shook her head. "I have not forgotten. I know who you are and what you've done."_

_Sasuke flinched. He should have known._

_She began speaking again. "We cannot undo what we have already done. However, we can grow from our mistakes and do things differently. I know it is impossible to start over, but it is not impossible to change. You just have to do things in the future that show people who you want to be and soon they will see you as that person instead."_

_"Hn."_

_She smiled slightly at his response and took it to mean he would take her words under consideration._

_After another few minutes passed and he spoke again. "Not many people in the village think like you. They are not going to be so forgiving."_

_"That may be true. However, I will be there. And you have Naruto-kun. And Sakura. It's not much, but that number will grow little by little and before you know it, you'll have friends and comrades. I'm not saying it'll be immediate, but you have people to turn to while it's hard."_

_Sasuke tensed again at the mention of Sakura. "I think you are mistaken about Sakura. She seems wary of me. I can't really blame her. The last time we spoke was not much of a rekindled friendship as much as us trying to kill each other."_

_"You're wrong. Sakura loves you."_

_His eyes widened in shock._

_"She is quiet because she does not know what to say, not because she does not want to. She has grown into such a strong kunoichi. She told me that after you left she knew she needed to do something drastic. So, she asked Tsunade-sama to train her. She wanted to be strong for you like I wanted to be strong for him. She wants to show you she has changed, but does not know how to approach you without you thinking she is just coming on to you like the old fangirl Sakura. Just give her time and trust me when I say that you have a friend in her."_

_Sasuke smiled almost imperceptibly. He knew it wouldn't be easy to return, but three friends was not a bad start. He felt more relaxed than he had in a long time and finally stood up._

_"Thank you, Hinata-san," he said as he began to walk toward the tent he was sharing with Naruto._

_She smiled. "Please, no need to be formal with me if I am not to do so with you."_

_He nodded and went inside the tent for the night._

_End Flashback_

"Shit," said Naruto.

"What?" asked Sasuke.

"You're right. I'm an idiot."

"Hn."

"I need to make things right with Hinata. She's always been there for me, even before the war and the Pein attack. In our first Chunin exams she offered to let me cheat off of her when she saw I didn't have any answers. She gave me ointment after I fought her teammate. And get this, she handmade this ointment! It's the best stuff I've ever used, just don't tell Sakura-chan I said so. And then before my fight with Neji, I was actually feeling like giving up. My confidence was at an all time low. And then she gives me this small speech about being a proud failure and true strength and I went and kicked his ass! I couldn't have done that without her..."

"You care about her."

Naruto blushed slightly. "Well, yeah. I mean she has been there for me more than most. And the things she says to me... it's like she can look inside me and know exactly what I need to hear. Like she knows me better than I know myself. She was the first person to tell me that they loved me. How could I not care about her?"

"Oh. So obviously that means you wouldn't address her feelings. Makes sense."

"Oi! Don't be such a sarcastic bastard."

"I wouldn't have to be if you weren't such an idiot. And you still haven't told me why you haven't said anything to her."

"I didn't know what to say."

"That's it? That's the worst excuse I ever heard."

"...That's just what it boils down to. I didn't know what to say. After she told me she loved me and I thought Pein killed her, I was so angry I went six tails of Kurama immediately. I almost transformed completely. And then later when I felt her chakra, I was so relieved knowing she had survived. And then I got back to the village and got caught up in finally being recognized by the other villagers. It was one of my dreams come true. Then we were so busy rebuilding and then I heard what you did and tried to go convince the Raikage not to kill you. Then I actually saw you again and we had to fight. After that, I did special tailed beast training and then it was the war... Once we got back and things were peaceful I saw her one day and realized I hadn't said anything. I almost went up to her, but I panicked. I didn't know what I was supposed to say! I didn't know how I felt about her or how I was supposed to respond. And it had been so long, I didn't know if she hated me for not responding or had stopped loving me. I was afraid. I didn't want to say something about her feelings and then look stupid because she didn't have those feelings for me anymore. And the longer I waited to say something, the more nervous I got and I just never said anything. And now I've messed everything up."

"Yeah."

"Really? All you have for me after that is 'Yeah'? You're no help!"

"What more do you need me to say? She deserves an explanation. And you need to make amends. I already told you what to do. It's up to you to figure out how."

Naruto became quiet and sat there thinking for a while. He knew Sasuke was right, but he still had no idea how to fix things. He decided to go to bed and see how Hinata was in the morning, and figure out what he would do to make it up to her from there.

The rest of the journey back to Konoha was an awkward one. Sakura had overheard what happened the night before and was now ignoring both Sasuke and Naruto (one out of nervousness and one out of exasperated anger). Hinata looked like she had fallen asleep crying, if she had slept at all, and her pearly eyes were tinged with red and had bags underneath them.

Naruto had been planning to ask how she was feeling, but seeing her in that state, he realized he didn't yet have anything good to say and spent the whole way home trying to think of what he could do to make it up to her. Between Sakura's moodiness, Sasuke's tension, Hinata's depressed exhaustion, and Naruto's silence, all four shinobi were ready to get away from the awkwardness. Thus, when the gates of Konoha became visible, all four breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the pace to get to Tsunade's office as quickly as possible.

Once in Tsunade's office, the blonde hokage did not know what to make of the odd mood surrounding her shinobi. She expected this mission debriefing to practically be a party with a loud and happy Naruto, a smiling Sakura, and a blushing Hinata. Instead, the parties in front of her looked solemn and you could cut the tension in the office with a kunai.

The scariest thing for Tsunade was the silent blonde in front of her. Sakura and Hinata took turns giving the mission report, flawless as usual, and Sasuke stood off to the side looking unemotional as ever. Tsunade did not miss the angry glares Sakura shot occasionally at Naruto and Naruto's regretful looks toward Hinata. She also did not miss the horrible emotional state that the dark-haired kunoichi was in. Hinata looked paler than usual and her eyes looked tired from either crying or holding back tears. Considering the looks she saw between the group, she assumed something had happened on the mission between the blonde and the quiet girl.

Meanwhile, Naruto was wracking his brain trying to figure out what to say to the sweet girl. He was frustrated that she was always so easily able to snap him out of any bad state and he was standing there unable to think of anything to help. He resolved to ignore Sasuke's advice and attempt to talk to her after the meeting. Improvising was always his forte, anyway, and he couldn't leave this unresolved. Not when she looked like that.

Once the debriefing was finished and a meeting time was set up for Sasuke, Tsunade dismissed the four shinobi. As they were on their way out her door, however, she changed her mind and called Hinata back to her. She had a mission to talk to her about and was originally going to give her the day to recuperate before bringing it up, but she was curious about what happened to depress the girl and figured she'd kill two birds with one stone.

"Hinata, come back for a minute. I have something I wanted to discuss with you."

"Okay, Lady Tsunade," Hinata replied as she turned and headed back to the Hokage's desk. She was relieved that she wouldn't have to walk out of the building with Naruto. She could tell he wanted to say something, and she was not ready to hear it. He had broken her heart and she was utterly devastated. It was going to take some time for her to get over the hurt and she didn't think she could face him until it had faded somewhat.

Naruto scowled that an opportunity to talk with Hinata had been taken from him. He didn't want to wait for her to finish with Tsunade because he knew Sasuke would know what he was waiting for and would disapprove. He usually didn't mind opposing Sasuke, but he knew his friend would ask questions he wasn't ready to answer and really wanted to avoid that for now. Sighing, he decided to accompany Sasuke to what was left of the Uchiha district and promised himself he would find Hinata later.

Meanwhile, Tsunade gestured for Hinata to take a seat and the dark haired kunoichi obliged. "Well, I guess I should let you know why I called you back here. I had planned to give you a little time to recuperate before telling you about this mission, but telling you now will give you more time to decide whether or not you choose to accept it."

Hinata's curiosity was piqued at this point as she wondered what kind of mission involved giving her a choice on whether or not she wanted to do it. It was very rare to receive an optional mission so she was eager to hear what the Hokage had to say. She nodded, letting Tsunade know she was listening.

"Well, as you know, the Five Great Elemental Nations originally became the Allied Nations solely for the purpose of defeating Madara in the Fourth Shinobi War. When the war ended, we extended the treaty for the following year so that we would all be able to focus on rebuilding."

Hinata nodded again, wondering if this was going where she thought it was.

"Now that the year is up, we have all decided that this alliance has benefitted everyone greatly and plan to draw up a new agreement for the next ten years. As part of this agreement, Konoha has volunteered to send one of our shinobi around to live for a while in the other nations. Many of you made names for yourselves in the war and you have all gained even more notoriety in the year since. In taking this mission, you will not only represent Konoha to all of the other nations, but you yourself will become an integral part of our diplomatic relations. Are you interested in hearing more details?"

"I am... very flattered that you are considering me for this mission, but are you sure you want me? I feel like Shikamaru might be better suited for something like this..."

"Oh, don't give me that, Hinata. You are perfect for this and you know it. Thanks to your training as the Hyuuga heiress, you have the etiquette and mediation skills as well as the political knowhow that is needed. Not to mention your natural sweetness and gentle nature makes everyone like you and will ensure that none of the other political figures feel too threatened, despite your reputation as a powerful kunoichi. All in all, you were my first and only choice, though I wanted to give you the opportunity to refuse since I know you have been very involved in clan matters since the war and this means being away from your family and friends for two years."

Hinata's eyes widened at this. Two years? That was a long time. It would be hard to be away from her precious people for so long, but this might be the perfect thing to get her blonde haired, blue eyed crush out of her head for good. And she couldn't deny that this was a great honor as well as a golden opportunity for her and her clan.

"Please let me know what this will entail."

Tsunade smirked, glad that Hinata wasn't going to refuse outright because of some idiotic sense of not being good enough. She truly thought Hinata was perfect for this and was glad she was confident enough in herself to consider the opportunity.

"As I stated previously, this mission will be for two years. You will spend six months living in each nation, beginning with Suna, then on to Iwa, Kiri, and finally Kumo. In each nation you will stay in their ninja village and work closely with their Kages and the top political figures. You will learn about their way of doing things, tell them about the way that we do things, and exchange advice. You will mingle with the various clans in the other nations and hopefully gain Konoha and your clan more trust and personal alliances from them.

"Finally, I would like this to be a training opportunity for you. You have become fearsome with the Gentle Fist and have shown yourself to be interested in branching out, as evidenced recently by your learning medical ninjutsu. This would be a golden opportunity for you in your training. You will be working constantly with some of the most powerful people in this world. I believe you have much to gain in your fighting skills if you decide to take this.

"I know that this is a lot to take in and that you will want some time to consider and make preparations. I would like your answer within three days and if you decide you would like to go, you will leave anytime you wish within the next two weeks."

Hinata was taken aback at this perfect opportunity. Tsunade was right, Hinata had been trying new things in her training and was working on branching out her skills. If she was going to be a good leader of her clan then she wanted to bring some new moves to the table and this was a once in a lifetime chance to train with and get to know the most powerful people in their world. Yes, it would be hard to be away for so long, but she could not pass this up. This would be beneficial for her and her clan and she could use the time away to heal and finally get over the love that she had wasted over half of her life on.

"Thank you for this opportunity, Tsunade-sama. You said I could leave anytime in the next two weeks once I make my decision?"

"That's right."

"Great. I'll leave tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2: Preparations and Goodbyes

**Author's note: Here's my second chapter! I want to thank you all dearly for your comments and reviews so far. I really appreciate the writing advice and encouragement as I am very new to this and only want to improve.**

**I do want to clear up something. I do not mean for this to be a "bash Naruto" fic. I really like Naruto. If I didn't, I wouldn't want him to end up with Hinata. However, I categorized this under Romance and Drama and for dramatic purposes, Naruto is going to be rather clueless in the girl department. At first he will cause some issues and when Hinata gets back, she will cause some of her own. My goal is for both of them to mature throughout the story.**

**Also, yes, Hinata is going to be pretty great in this story. I already think she's awesome, but I'm hoping to make her even more so. The title is Hinata: Sweetheart of the Allied Nations for a reason.**

**This chapter will continue being a little angsty because that's just how I feel, but it'll get a little lighter from there. There'll still be plenty of dramatic moments, but after this the angst should let up. I just want a little more of Hinata dealing with her impression that Naruto does not care about her at all before I get to fixing things for them.**

**Thank you again for your support thus far and I hope you enjoy!**

Hinata: Sweetheart of the Allied Nations

Chapter Two: Preparations and Goodbyes

"Thank you for this opportunity, Tsunade-sama. You said I could leave anytime in the next two weeks once I make my decision?"

"That's right."

"Great. I'll leave tomorrow."

Tsunade's jaw dropped. "Tomorrow?! Are you sure? I mean I was hoping you would take this mission, but that seems rather sudden!"

"Absolutely. I would like to leave as soon as possible."

Now the Hokage knew something was up. She knew that this mission was too good of an opportunity for Hinata to pass up, but she honestly thought she would take the next couple of weeks to spend some time with her family and friends before leaving them for so long. Her precious people were just that, precious to her, and Tsunade had purposefully bargained for extra preparation time for the heiress because she thought she would take it. Hinata's desire for a sudden departure reminded her of the atmosphere in their mission debriefing earlier and she decided she would find out what was going on.

"Okay, Hinata, I know something is up and I know that this has to do with Naruto and your recent mission. Now are you going to tell me or am I going to have to drag it out of you?"

Hinata knew that there was no getting the Hokage to back down. Tsunade was about as stubborn as they come. Plus, she had become something of a mother figure to Hinata since she started her medical training. She was afraid to tell the Hokage, because she knew of Tsunade's close relationship with Naruto, but she couldn't go to her father for advice in this situation and she really didn't want to bother Kurenai with the brunt of it since she was so busy with her baby boy. Hinata took a deep breath and began to recount to Tsunade all that had happened on this latest mission between her and Naruto.

By the time she was finished, Tsunade was seething. Everyone had wondered what had gone on between Naruto and Hinata. It was obvious they weren't dating, but no one really knew what, if anything, had been said between them. Hinata had only confided the fact that Naruto had never responded to her confession in her closest friends and no one else ever brought it up knowing it was kind of a sore spot for the shy girl. Tsunade was pissed that the boy would be so callous towards a girl who had only ever shown him the utmost love and devotion, but she knew Hinata would not want Tsunade fighting her battles and so she decided to figure out a way to help the girl without being too obvious.

"Alright, Hinata. I understand why you are so eager to leave and I guess I can't blame you. I am sad that we will not have more time with you, but I will contact the Kazekage and make sure that they know of your departure tomorrow morning. It is a two day journey to Suna which will give them plenty of time to prepare for your arrival. I will have Shino and Kiba escort you since I know how close you are. Now, I will not keep you any longer. Make whatever preparations you need to and say your goodbyes. I will see you at the front gate at 7 a.m. sharp."

Hinata stood and bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama. I appreciate both this opportunity and your preparations for my sudden departure. Thank you for understanding."

Tsunade could not help herself and walked around the desk to hug the dark haired sweetheart. She was really going to miss her.

"No problem. Now you don't have any more time to waste. Go get ready and I will see you in the morning."

As Tsunade watched the young woman leave her office, her face turned devious as she began plotting a way to bring her favorite knucklehead together with the shy sweetheart.  
Meanwhile Hinata figured she would head straight to her house to pack. She needed to make a list of everything she would need for the journey and everyone she needed to see before leaving. This was going to be a long day.

As Hinata walked down the street toward the Hyuga compound, she started to feel a little overwhelmed. She was able to have a bit of a catharsis while telling Tsunade about the situation and was thankful that her Hokage allowed for such an emotional display. Her situation with her father had improved by leaps and bounds, and her immediate family had grown even closer through their shared grief in Neji's passing. However, emotional displays were still rather unusual and pretty strictly private in the Hyuga household so it was nice to have someone who allowed it without making her feel uncomfortable.

Hinata began listing people she needed to see and almost wanted to kick herself for telling Tsunade that she would leave tomorrow. Due to the nature of this mission, she would need a very different set of items than the ones she usually brought with her and packing was going to be a much more time consuming endeavor than usual. Luckily, she knew Hanabi would sit with her and help her pack which would allow for some quality sister time before she left.

She also appreciated the fact that Shino and Kiba would be escorting her to Suna which would give her a couple days of time spent with them to say goodbye. She would have dinner with her family, which left the afternoon to explain the situation and say her goodbyes to Kurenai, the girls, and Neji. Hinata also wanted to make some arrangements within her family to let them know to aid Sasuke while she was away. The dark haired girl felt guilty that she had told him she would be there for him and that she was instead running away for a couple of years. She figured that she could still help him by letting her family know to aid him if he should need it.

As Hinata walked past her favorite bakery, she stopped and decided to pick up some items for lunch to bring to Kurenai's place. Kurenai had been been a mother/older sister figure for Hinata since she became her sensei and it was important to Hinata to say goodbye properly. She knew that the crimson eyed beauty would help her get her feelings in order and give her some advice for restraining her girl friends from going to beat up Naruto. She was hurt, but she had her pride (she was a Hyuga, after all) and she didn't want him to know how much it had affected her. Luckily this mission popped up so she had a perfect excuse to avoid him while doing something productive with her life. If Sakura, Ino, and TenTen teamed up on him like she knew they would want to, nothing good could come of it.

After purchasing their lunch, she quickly found herself in front of Kurenai's apartment door. She knocked quietly, in case little Asuma was sleeping, and almost immediately the door opened up to reveal a smiling Kurenai holding a content looking crimson eyed boy.

"I brought lunch!" Hinata said as she held up her bag of goodies and smiled brightly. It always warmed her heart to see her sensei and her son together.

"Wonderful! I was wondering how that mission of yours went. Come in and we'll talk." Kurenai noticed the pained look on Hinata's face when she mentioned her latest mission and was now rather curious. She led her into the living room where she had a small table and got Asuma settled into his high chair as Hinata sat the sandwiches, fruit, and cinnamon rolls for dessert on the table.

Kurenai quickly heated some hot water for tea and sat down at the table with their drinks. As a sensei and mother it was very easy for her to tell that her former student, now dear friend, had something on her mind. In order to spare the shy girl from having to bring up the topic herself, she asked, "So, why don't you tell me about your mission. You just got back this morning, right? Since you came here so quickly afterward, I'm assuming you want to talk about something that happened during it."

Hinata was almost startled by Kurenai's intuition, but knew her too well to be. Somehow the crimson eyed woman always knew how to get Hinata to talk when something was troubling her. She wasn't sure if it was because Kurenai knew her so well or if she was just gifted in that area. Probably a little of both. She hesitantly began her story, finishing her tale at the same time as their lunch.

"Oh, Hinata. I'm so sorry, dear," Kurenai said quietly as she put her hand on Hinata's shoulder to comfort her.

Hinata couldn't bring herself to look at her sensei, afraid that the emotions she saw on her mentor's face would cause her to break down again. She hadn't wanted to burden Kurenai with the full brunt of her emotions, but it seems her catharsis in the Hokage's office hadn't been quite enough for her to feel better yet. She let the tears silently fall down her face and sipped her tea.

"It's okay," Hinata finally said. "I always figured he hadn't said anything because he didn't feel the same way, but I always had this little bit of hope that it was because of something else and that maybe he could like me. At least now I finally know and can try to get on with my life."

Kurenai's heart went out to the girl. She had known of Hinata's crush probably longer than anyone else. When she watched Hinata get up the nerve to give Naruto that ointment after the Chunin preliminaries, she had seen all the tell-tale signs that the shy little girl had it bad for the Uzumaki. Her teammates had caught on a little after that as well. The former sensei knew that the boy was not good with girls and had probably not meant for things to go that way, but Hinata had told her about all that had been said between them in the war and Kurenai was shocked when there was no progress in their relationship afterward.

The overprotective part of her wanted to trap Naruto in the worst genjutsu she could come up with, but she knew it was no use. After all, Hinata wouldn't want anyone trying to scare the boy into dating her. Kurenai had honestly thought Naruto might give her a chance one day and that he was just trying to get up the nerve. Again, she knew his only real experience with girls was constantly asking out Sakura and getting hit hard for his effort. She thought he might just not know how to go about things. With this recent mission, though, it seemed pretty hopeless now. All she could do is comfort her former student and assure her that there would be someone who would one day make her as happy as she deserved.

"Why don't I get us some more tea and we move to the couch? I'm sure little Asuma would love to be held by his favorite Aunt!" Kurenai smiled to herself as she saw Hinata perk up a bit. Her former student absolutely adored her son and doted on him even more than Shikamaru, which was difficult to manage. Hinata picked up the boy and made her way to the couch while Kurenai got some more tea.

As Kurenai, sat down she asked, "So, what do you plan on doing?"

Hinata thanked her again for the tea and told her about the new mission she had received. "Since I leave tomorrow, I wanted to make sure I said a proper goodbye today. I'm sorry I took up so much of our time with my story," she said as she finished up.

It took Kurenai a few moments to process the idea of Hinata being gone for so long. She didn't want to admit it, but she knew this would be the easiest way for Hinata to get over her feelings for the Uzumaki. He wasn't exactly the easiest person to avoid since he was always present around the village. And it didn't help that now he had that stupid fan club following him around like love sick puppies. Kurenai knew that seeing those women flirt shamelessly with Naruto had already been painful for Hinata and after this, she knew it would be unbearable for a while. This mission provided the opportunity the girl needed to get away for a while. And, since Hinata was such a dedicated kunoichi, she would be so focused on her political duties and training that she would hopefully be able to keep herself too distracted to wallow in misery.

"Well, Hinata, I can't say it won't be difficult to be away from you for so long, but I do think you made the right choice. This is a good opportunity for your career and it is a good opportunity to get past this hard time in your personal life. Go, make friends, get stronger, and come back and show him how stupid he is for tossing you aside! In the meantime I expect you to write and keep me updated on the goings on.

"You know Kiba and Shino will depend on me to keep them updated since Kiba is a terrible pen pal and Shino has been so busy lately with ANBU training."

Hinata giggled at the idea of her canine loving teammate and his terrible skill with correspondence. She would make sure to send Kurenai news, but would have to throw in a note and maybe a photo here and there to the boys so that they didn't feel left out.

Hinata and Kurenai talked for another twenty minutes or so about life with little Asuma, different happenings around the village, and speculations for Hinata's upcoming journey. Soon, they both realized Hinata needed to head out as she still had much to do to prepare.

Kurenai stood up, taking her son back into her arms, and walked Hinata to the front door. She looked at the young woman she had known for so long and whom she had helped raise while the Hyuga head was still a less than satisfactory father figure. The former sensei saw the nervousness playing on Hinata's delicate features and smiled as she wondered just who exactly would be coming back from the trip. She had no doubt the young woman would grow even more beautiful and would become even stronger. However, she wondered if time with so many political heads and strong shinobi would take away some of that sweet, shy demeanor that was so very Hinata. If perhaps all the politics and training would harden her and make her more skeptical. No matter what, Kurenai knew that the Hinata that returned would be a force to be reckoned with, whether she retained the quiet strength she had now or whether she oozed confidence more like her younger sister.

Red eyes met ivory, both sets glistening with unshed tears as they conveyed with a look how much they would miss one another. After a long hug and wishes of luck and safety, Hinata made her way from Kurenai's apartment down the road, thankful for yet another wonderful person in her life.

A half an hour later, Hinata found herself sitting in a booth at a local cafe, chatting with her three closest girl friends. The dark haired beauty had gone straight to TenTen's apartment from Kurenai's place and told her it was important that they find Sakura and Ino for an afternoon get-together. TenTen's chocolate brown eyes took note of her friend's puffy eyes and slightly pink nose, but decided to hold off on commenting on her obvious distress, figuring that this was probably the reason for their meeting.

The two quickly found the bright haired kunoichis conversing in the Yamanaka flower shop, Sakura leaning against the counter while Ino worked on an arrangement for their display case. Sakura had of course already told the blonde about what she had overheard, which Hinata had expected. She knew Sakura wouldn't have said anything if she hadn't been certain that Hinata was going to discuss the whole incident with all of them anyway.

After a few minutes of idle chit chat and placing their orders - just tea for Hinata who had just come from her lunch with Kurenai - TenTen had finally had enough waiting.

"Okay, Hinata, what exactly happened to you? You show up at my door looking like you've been crying, drag us all out for some quality girl time, and then proceed to not tell me what I've been dying to know since I saw you. So, spill it so I know who to cut."

Her words elicited a small sincere smile from Hinata. TenTen had quickly become Hinata's best friend after the war. They were both greatly affected by Neji's death and neither had really spent much time with other girls before. They started out meeting by the memorial stone erected for those ninja who died in the Fourth Great Ninja War, soon going to grab a bite to eat afterward to discuss their mutual deceased precious person. These outings quickly became more planned and less morbidly spontaneous than meeting in front of a memorial stone and the girls soon found they got along famously. Both enjoyed having someone their age to share certain grievances only a fellow kunoichi their age could understand and they also found training together to be mutually beneficial. TenTen had also taken to being somewhat protective of Hinata, both out of friendship and a feeling that Neji would appreciate her looking after the cousin he had treasured. Hinata knew that her friend had noticed her distraught state and was surprised it had taken her this long to comment. She decided to start from the beginning even knowing that Ino had already heard some from Sakura, since Ino much preferred hearing these kinds of things "straight from the source" as she would say.

Hinata fidgeted a little, a bit worried about what the reactions would be once she finished, and took in a deep breath.

"Well," she began, "I guess you could say I finally got my answer from Nar- ... Uzumaki-san regarding my feelings for him."

"..."

"_What?!_" screeched TenTen in place of Ino and Sakura, as they were already aware. The change in address did not go unnoticed by any of the three girls. Hinata was determined to put distance between herself and her feelings for the blonde hero, and this was just one way for her to go about it.

"Um, you see, I was gathering wood on our latest mission and as I was walking back I heard Sasuke-kun asking Naruto why he continues to ask Sakura out. I was... intrigued... and I couldn't help myself from listening to his response. Call it morbid curiosity, if you want.

"Anyway, Uzumaki-san listed some of Sakura's good qualities as usual, but Sasuke-kun then proceeded to ask him if there weren't any other girls who wouldn't physically assault him if he asked them out. Naruto just told him that the only others were fangirls..."

Ino and TenTen hadn't been told any specifics until now, and Hinata watched both of their expressions go from shocked, to horrified, to positively murderous in the span of a couple of seconds. Before they could say anything, Hinata continued her story, anxious to let them know that she herself had confronted the shinobi in question on his words.

"At that point, I was so surprised and hurt that I dropped the wood. This, of course, drew their attention to me. I just couldn't take it and had to ask him if he really did think of me as a fangirl. He tried to console me by telling me that he didn't consider me a fangirl and that he hadn't thought of me when answering Sasuke-kun, but that just made it worse! I mean, Sasuke essentially asked him if there was anyone he would consider dating in the village and I didn't even cross his mind..."

"Oh, honey."

"I'm so sorry."

"What happened next? Did you tell him off? Sakura said something about you yelling and I want to hear about it!"

Hinata blushed, remembering her outburst. "Well... after everything we'd been through together and all the years I'd cared for him, I just kind of... snapped? I don't regret anything that I did, but after all this time wondering why he never said anything and trying not to think about him at night when I was alone... It just hurt to know that all my insecurities were actually true. He never even thought about me. So I kind of lost it. I told him that I wasn't some superficial fangirl, that I made it very obvious what my feelings were, told him I had cared about him and believed in him from the very beginning, and then 'thanked' him for clearing things up for me."

TenTen's eyes were wide, surprised that her friend finally stood up for herself, happy that she finally had some kind of closure, and so sad that this was how that had come about. She reached out and put her hand on Hinata's, showing her support. Hinata glanced up and gave her friend a small smile.

"That wasn't all!" Sakura jumped in, eager to tell the girls how impressive Hinata had been. Hinata's summary had not done it nearly enough justice. "Hinata was so awesome. I guess Naruto tried to grab her before she could walk off, but Hinata was all like 'Unhand me Uzumaki-san' or something to that extent. I was like 'CHA that'll tell him!' And then I thought I heard Sasuke-kun say something, but he was so quiet I couldn't quite tell."

The three girls looked at Hinata expectantly. It sounded like Sasuke had stood up for her somewhat and they were all curious as to why this would be since the two had never really talked before.

"Sasuke-kun helped me get away. He saw how upset I was and told Naruto to let me go and let me take his first watch shift so that I wouldn't have to come back for a little while."

"Sasuke-kun, is it?" teased Ino. "Since when is Miss 'I'm beyond polite to everyone' so familiar with Uchiha Sasuke?"

Sakura felt her stomach churn a little when Hinata blushed. She had noticed they seemed to be a little more comfortable around each other - well, as comfortable as Sasuke looked around anyone - and was curious as to reason for the change. Hinata was caring and beautiful and Sakura couldn't help but feel a little worried that the sweet girl would get to her crush and she'd lose her chance. She quickly squashed those thoughts as she realized that Hinata would never do something like that to her.

Hinata noticed the uncomfortable look on Sakura's face and began to explain so that her friend would stop worrying, "Originally I was scheduled for the second watch, and I already mentioned that Sasuke had the first shift. The night before all of this happened, I got up to relieve him, but he just sat there staring at the fire. I don't really know him very well, but I thought he looked kind of upset so I asked him what was wrong. We talked and I found out he was a little worried about what the village was going to do and think of him when he came back. I just assured him that all he had to do was show everyone he had changed and that he had Naruto, Sakura, and myself to support him."

Her three friends looked at her for a few moments in shock before Ino cracked up.

"Oh my goodness, Hinata! I can't believe he actually admitted being worried about something! Leave it to you to comfort the Uchiha Sasuke, avenger, student of Orochimaru and the guy who killed Danzo among many others! Seriously, that is rich!"

Hinata's eyes got wide for a moment as she begged, "Please, Ino, don't tell anyone about that! I'm sure he wouldn't want everyone to know and I don't want to betray his trust. I just didn't want y'all thinking there was something else going on between the two of us. I think he just talked to me because I caught him off guard. He was just a little extra nervous since Sakura didn't talk to him the whole mission and he thought if she hated him that much, then everyone else would even more. I assured him that she did not hate him and that he had us to support him. Which reminds me, please watch out for him. I promised I would help him out, but now that I'm going to be gone for two years I want to make sure he has as much support as I can get for him before I go."

"TWO YEARS?!" three voices shrieked in unison.

Hinata looked sheepish as she realized she hadn't yet told them the other reason she wanted to talk to all of them. "Well, um, that was kind of the other reason I wanted to talk to you. When we got back, Hokage-sama offered me a two year diplomatic mission. I'll be living in each of the other major hidden villages for six months, training and working to better our relations with them."

"Oooh, is that what Tsunade-sama wanted to talk to you about when we left?" asked Sakura. She had been curious, but had forgotten about it in the excitement about Hinata's confrontation with Naruto.

"Yes," Hinata nodded. "It's a great opportunity for myself and my clan. It'll give me a chance to get stronger and give me some time away to get over him..."

They all knew what she was saying.

Sakura's eyes were soft as she looked at the girl who had so quickly become one of her best friends. "That's understandable. That idiot can be kind of hard to get away from. He's just so damn loud."

"Psh, look who's talking Forehead," chirped Ino, trying to lighten the mood. They were all sad that their friend was hurt and were really going to miss her.

"Shut it, Ino-pig," Sakura ground out.

"I still want to punch that jerk in the face. Who does he think he is! How could he forget about the sweetest girl in the village! And after everything she's done for him!" TenTen seethed. She had been upset with Naruto's treatment of Hinata for a while, and her mood was already soured knowing her closest friend was going to be gone for two years. The weapons mistress was out for blood.

Ino was also indignant, but Sakura was torn. She knew Naruto was a good person and she felt for him like she would a brother. The pink haired girl could not understand how someone who had been so eager for recognition could just ignore the one who had given him the strongest form of it. She resolved to give him a good smack and then talk to him about it now that everything was out in the open.

The girls sat there for another half hour discussing what they thought Hinata's mission would be like. Ino was sure she was going to meet some "ridiculously hot guys" and was giving her tips for flirting. She also asked her to keep an eye out for anything interesting fashion-wise. Apparently Kiri was famous for some extra nice silk they produced and Kumo was considered very fashion forward. TenTen was asking Hinata to keep an eye out for any awesome weapons and telling her she would pay her back if she would send her anything she found that was particularly interesting. Sakura was eager to hear about the different medical facilities and procedures Hinata would find in the other hidden villages. She had seen some interesting things from some of the other medics during the war, but obviously hadn't had a chance to ask about them considering the situation. Hinata promised all of them that she would keep them updated and send both correspondence and presents while she was away.

It was getting later in the afternoon and Hinata wanted to make sure she would have a chance to visit Neji before dinner time. The girls walked together back to the Yamanaka flower shop so Hinata could pick up some lilies for Neji, which Ino provided no charge. She gave each of the girls a hug, letting them know what time she would be heading out in the morning as they were insisting on seeing her off, and set out for the Fourth Ninja War Memorial Stone.

"Hello, Nii-san, I came to tell you goodbye for a while."

Hinata knelt in front of the memorial and lay her flowers on the ground before it.

"I know I stopped by before my last mission, but things have been really eventful since then. I've been given a chance to better the diplomatic relations between Konoha and the rest of the Allied Nations. I'm a little scared to be given something so important. I'm essentially agreeing to be the face of Konoha aside from the Hokage herself. I have to appear strong, clever, distinguished... I know I have all the training for it, but it's like a battle - you train and train, but once you are in the midst of the real thing everything feels so different and you can't afford the mistakes you usually make in training. You were always so strong and proud. No one ever doubted your strength, even though you were from the branch family. I'm going to need your strength, Nii-san."

As Hinata sat and discussed her hopes and fears, Naruto was searching the village for her. He had gone with Sasuke to what was left of the Uchiha district and talked with him about his plans for the reconstruction and what he thought the upcoming meeting would entail. Once they finished talking, he set out to find Hinata and try to clear things up between them. He still wasn't sure exactly what he wanted to say, but he was sure that he didn't want to lose her. After a half hour with no results, he headed to a relatively isolated spot and gathered nature energy. Once in Sage Mode he quickly located her chakra signature and headed her direction.

Naruto arrived where Hinata was, but he stopped before stepping into the clearing as he was able to hear her talking. He hid himself behind a tree, listening to what she was saying.

"Please forgive me, Nii-san. I feel like I sound so ungrateful. It's just that I've loved him for so long, and admired him even longer than that. He really did save me. And he saved you and our family owes so much of our closeness to him. It just hurts so much to know he has been such a huge part of my life, yet it seems he hardly knows I exist. And it's not like I never see him. He asks Sakura out in front of me so often. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but it still hurts every time, like being stabbed in the chest." As Hinata says this she unconsciously rubs the scar on her chest from Pein. Naruto sees this and flinches

"I just can't take it anymore. I knew it was hoping too much that he cared for me like I care for him, but after finding out just how little he thinks of me... I kind of wish you had let me take that attack from the Ten Tails. I would have been content to die for Naruto, both for love and the good of the world. But I know how you and TenTen felt about each other. You could have married and had a family, had a life filled with love. And you would have been such a great clan leader. Instead I'm here, useless and lovesick. And then I feel even worse because you sacrificed yourself for me and Naruto and I'm just complaining!

"Well, I'm done with that. I'm going to do what I have to to get past this. I will not let your sacrifice for me be in vain."

As Hinata finished, she heard a familiar voice greet her. Surprised, she turned to face the speaker and saw Sasuke standing there with his hands in his pockets. The dark haired girl wiped the tears from her face and gave him a small, but genuine smile. The last Uchiha extended a hand to help her up, which she took with a quiet "Thank you."

"Hello, Sasuke-kun, are you here for the memorial? I was just leaving if you wanted to be alone."

Sasuke's eyes raked over the many names, surprised yet pleased to see his brother's among them. "No, actually I was looking for you."

"Oh! Sure! Um, did you need my help with something?"

Sasuke shifted on his feet, looking a little sheepish, and mumbled something.

"Um, sorry, I couldn't really hear you... Could you repeat that?"

"I said I was wondering if you could give me some pointers for replanting my garden. I didn't know if there were any special steps I needed to take."

Hinata gave Sasuke yet another smile and said, "Definitely! Actually, would you mind if I just came with you and showed you? I have something I wanted to tell you anyway."

"Sure." Sasuke turned and began to walk away, indicating for Hinata to follow him.

Blue eyes watched the two leave. Naruto was frozen to his spot, overwhelmed by Hinata's words. He had no idea that he affected her so much. Sure, he'd heard her confession, but he hadn't really let himself consider just how important he was to her. He hadn't exactly had time to sit and think on her words and actions until after the war, and even at that point he realized he didn't really know what true love was.

He had thought that he loved Sakura when he was younger, but that was just a crush. She was attractive and popular and she gave him attention, even if it was negative attention for the longest time. They had grown closer, being on the same team, but she would always love Sasuke and he knew this. So why did he continue to ask her out? Did he really think she was the only girl in the village that knew who he was? No, he knew that Hinata knew him better than most, despite them not talking very often. When her teammates questioned whether it was really him who had come to her rescue during the war, she had assured them with just a look in his eyes. Besides that, it seemed that whenever they did interact in the past she had this ability to speak to his very core. She never made him feel stupid, though he knew she was very smart. In fact, he had been completely vulnerable in front of her more than anyone besides maybe Pervy Sage and instead of taking advantage or making fun of him, she would make him feel even better than before.

Naruto thought back on all the times she had helped him. Knowing that she had watched him for so many years, silently cheering him on, believing in him when no one else did, Naruto began to feel warm. He had been so focused on Sakura, when there was another beautiful girl right in front of him. And he didn't even have to try to impress her. She had seen the good and the bad and she loved him. She had risked so many things for him over the years. He still couldn't say he fully understood love, but he could say that now that he thought about it, really thought about it, she did make him feel loved.

Realizing this, Naruto made up his mind then and there. Here was a girl who was beautiful yet modest, strong yet gentle, smart but not pretentious, selfless, caring, and she made him feel loved. This was all he needed to know that he could fall for her. Today he would plan and starting tomorrow, he would get Hinata to give him another chance. He would do anything in his power to make up for all her years of hurting. He would show her that her faith was not misplaced.

As he walked towards his apartment, he thought of the strange exchange he had seen between the pale eyed beauty and his best friend. He certainly found it odd that she seemed so comfortable around him. Most of the villagers, shinobi and civilian alike, were currently wary of the last Uchiha considering his past. Naruto knew that Sasuke had let go of his hatred, but he was by no means considerate. Sasuke had actually held out a hand to help Hinata up and he'd even looked embarrassed in front of her! That was a side Sasuke had a hard time showing to Naruto and he was his closest friend! And what could Hinata have had to tell him? The thought of her smiling so brightly at the man so many women fawned over made Naruto feel strangely uncomfortable. Maybe he could talk to Sasuke about it...

Hinata arrived at the Hyuga compound just in time for dinner. She found that her father and sister already knew of her mission as Tsunade had discussed it with Hiashi before offering it to Hinata. The Hokage knew that an unsealed Hyuga being out of the village for so long and living in the other Hidden Villages, including the one that had attempted to kidnap her years ago, would be a delicate matter.

Hiashi had been understandably reluctant despite the current peace. However, Tsunade had handled the arrangements perfectly and the clan head received assurances not only from Tsunade, but from the other Kages as well. This had eased his mind along with the knowledge that Tsunade would be periodically sending over Konoha shinobi for various missions like chunin exam planning so there would be familiar ninja around that could aid Hinata should anything get suspicious.

Considering their past relationship, Hinata couldn't help but beam at her father's concern for her safety. She knew that part of it was concern for the Byakugan, but her father left no doubt that he was mainly concerned for her personal safety. Hiashi also expressed his pride in Tsunade's determination to have Hinata for this mission. He knew this was both a great honor and a wonderful opportunity for her as an individual and for their clan. The mission would guarantee her a spot as one of the most important advisors to the Hokage and personal relationships with some of the most important figures in the Elemental Nations.

After Hinata informed her family of her rather abrupt plans for departure and the initial shock had been dealt with, father and daughters shared a pleasant meal together. Hinata was thankful her father had not pressed the matter and once dinner was over Hanabi accompanied her older sister to her room in order to assist with her packing. Hinata kept her usual training clothes and weapons, but also made sure to pack kimonos for the days she was working with the political heads instead of training. She wanted to make a good impression and Hanabi was adamant that her usual purple jacket and ninja pants were not going to cut it.

Hinata enjoyed getting to spend this time with Hanabi. When they were younger, they had mostly been pitted against one another to see who was the worthier heiress which had (unsurprisingly) not fostered much sisterly affection. However, their earlier relationship meant that they treasured their current closeness even more.

As they gathered items and folded, Hinata told Hanabi all about what happened on her most recent mission. Hanabi had never really interacted with the blond Hokage aspirant, but had supported the crush in the past in order to make her sister happy. So, when she heard about what happened, her eyes narrowed and the more devious of the sisters began plotting a way to get back at the young hero.

Hanabi made sure not to mention her intentions out loud, however, because she knew her sister would try to dissuade her and the younger of the two was not about to have a pointless disagreement the night before Hinata left for two years. Besides, it's not like she would listen to her older sister anyway. Hinata was too nice for her own good and Hanabi liked to make up for that for her.

Once everything was packed in bags and storage seals, the sisters bid one another goodnight. Hanabi gave her sister an uncharacteristic hug and hurried away to bed so she wouldn't have to see Hinata's eyes get teary as they always did when she showed her physical affection. The eldest just smiled and settled into her bed, too worn out emotionally to stay up worrying.

As Hinata drifted off to sleep, she considered the fact that her life was about to change drastically. She was determined to make it a change for the better.

**Author's Note: Well there you have it! Writing so many different characters is definitely going to take some getting used to. I rewrote the last bit with her family like 6 times and think it's about as good as it's going to get.**

**Next up is Suna which I'm thinking should be good fun. I always enjoy the Sand Siblings and am looking forward to attempting them myself.**

**As for Naruto's feelings, they will continue to develop. I am basing them off of a relationship of some friends of mine and my husband. Their story was very similar to how I imagined Naruto's feelings coming around. He does not love her yet, but aside from her blow up she has gone out of her way to make him know he is loved and this is the foundation of his feelings for her.**

**Also, Sasuke and Hinata will just be friends, but I plan on making their relationship as confusing as possible for Naruto.**

**Anyway, please leave me comments so I know if it's coming along okay!**


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